Groups of soldiers arrive in the dark morning in the parking lot in Assen where dozens of trucks are installed. From here they leave for Poland for three weeks. Earlier this week the helicopters already left. Together they form an ‘Air Maneuvre Task Force’, a fast NATO response.
With the exercise, the Ministry of Defense mainly wants to show that they are ready for allies. “We are starting with a major international cooperation in Poland,” explains Kapitein Léon. “In the first place to finely grind the trainedness of the airmobile brigade and also to show the Netherlands, but also the NATO allies, that we should be shoulder for any threat.”
The relocation of the 11 Airmobile Brigade itself is part of the exercise. According to the scenario, NATO appeals to the Dutch units. On the way to Poland they have to identify and avoid possible ‘threats’. Once in Poland they train together with Polish and American units to conquer bridges and airports, for example.
Dutch F-35 combat aircraft were still active in Poland this month to remove Russian drones from the sky, but this relocation of helicopters and the 11 Aermobile Brigade is independent of that. The Falcon Autumn exercise is more common and this relocation has also been in the agenda for some time.
“It doesn’t really feel different,” says Captain Léon when it comes to the threat. “It is true that happens to be the threat in the east of Poland. We will train in the coming period in western Poland. We are dealing with our main task, but will be more than willing to defend what is worth us in the future.”